7 Communities Respond to Glacier Loss in Peru

Dear donors,

We are pleased to share an update from our project “7 Communities Respond to Glacier Loss in Peru,” highlighting a new community-led intervention in Laraos, located within the Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve.

After more than 25 years, the Laraos Peasant Community carried out a large-scale communal workday (faena comunal) to clean and restore the ancestral Yunca Lara water canal and dam, marking a key step in the recovery of traditional water infrastructure affected by climate change and glacier loss.

A total of 78 community members (40 men and 38 women) participated in the activity, successfully cleaning and rehabilitating over 4 kilometers of canal. The workday began with a traditional offering to the mountain, expressing gratitude to nature and reaffirming ancestral practices that sustain the community’s spiritual and cultural relationship with water and land.

Community leaders emphasized the high level of organization and collective commitment demonstrated during the faena, which represents a milestone in strengthening community-led water governance and ensuring the continuity of shared water management practices in Laraos.

This intervention reflects the central role of local knowledge, collective action, and ancestral technologies in responding to glacier retreat and increasing water scarcity in the Andes.

As the year comes to a close, we send you our warmest Season’s Greetings and heartfelt thanks for your continued support. We look forward to having you accompany our work in the coming year, as Andean communities like Laraos continue to lead their own responses to climate change and protect vital water systems for future generations.